


The Robin's Egg

by Smolkobold



Series: [Sketch] [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:07:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28545324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smolkobold/pseuds/Smolkobold
Summary: A lost soul is found, a guide takes the hand of the one that will not be again for a time.
Series: [Sketch] [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2091282





	The Robin's Egg

"S-So you're sure it's safe to go out on the cliffs this early into Spring?" Sol called, carefully eyeing each aspect of the ground before each step. A thick blanket of snow covered the entire mountainside, making it difficult to tell what was ground and what was only snow. Judging by the angle, the fall would not be fatal, but would most certainly result in broken bones.

"Yes. You really need to loosen up." Oleum replied, striding with confidence through the precarious climb.

Sol knew it would only be a few more hours before they reached the summit, but he had not mentioned his curse. He was sure Oleum had his suspicions but tried to keep his hand close to his chest. Of course, he paid good gold for his guidance. 

As they continued upwards, eventually they reached a pass. At this time of year, it resembled a grand archway, with the stairs leading into the next level of the mountain.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Oleum said. His voice seemed to carry with a supernatural pervasiveness that unsettled Sol. Whether he could read his thoughts, or simply believed the same was unknown.

"Yes. I've never seen such a sight." 

"They say this is where a great hero used to live. He was a stalwart fellow with the strength and constitution of a bear. He believed strongly in the power of these mountains and drank heavily from the spring we are headed towards. It is said that during his presence in the village, not a single sheep was lost to wolves, and rats were driven out of the barns." Oleum spoke deliberately, as if reading from some invisible book in front of him, though his pace did not falter.

"And what happened?" Sol shouted from behind.

"The hero grew old, and the hero grew tired, so he climbed up to the mountain and carved himself a plain from the rock itself. he carved a modest stone coffin, climbed inside, and entered his eternal rest, satisfied with what he had accomplished."

"What had he done besides drive out rats and wolves?" Sol asked skeptically.

"It is not known where he had come from or what great task he performed, but when he arrived he was covered in scars and on the brink of death. After the townsfolk nursed him back to health, he promised them twenty years of servitude, but no more. It was the end of those twenty years he decided to lay himself to rest. Do you doubt the power of a being that can delay their death until they themselves are satisfied with the life they lived?" Oleum took a more serious tone when he posed the question to Soltaking him aback slightly.

"I'm not sure what to make of the story. How can he be a hero if it is not known what he has done? Could he have been a wicked man that lived the remainder of his life in peace?" Sol returned, now looking carefully through the pass for any signs of the hero's tomb. 

"I suppose so, but would that not be a poor assumption to make of someone that has only done well to your people?"

"I see what you mean."

"Heroes are, of course, a matter of perspective. For one nation, a great warrior is a scourge to another. For one village, their protector may be another's villain."

"So you believe it is better to accept the best in people, rather than be wary of the things they have not shown?" Sol asked skeptically.

"Lest we fear our own shadows." Oleum replied.

"Oh, and besides, we cannot see the tomb in this weather, if you were wondering. It is always covered in a thick sheet of ice this time of year. The hero needs to rest in order to appear to villagers again in the summer."

"The hero still appears?" Sol replied.

"Yes. Although he can no longer protect them with his body, he still warns the villagers of dangerous weather and poor harvests. So far he has never made an ill call. By the way, you're about to be bitten by a wolf."

"What?"

As they turned the corner, Sol could hear a terrifying growl, followed by the clicking of paws on stone. A blur crossed his eyes, and searing pain shot through his leg. The beast snarled and thrashed its head, tearing through the fabric and into his flesh.

"Oh, gods! Save me!" Sol cried out.

Sol curled his fist into a ball and threw it as hard as he could into the nose of the beast. It whined and recoiled, releasing its grip before leaping back and sinking in its teeth.

"Stop that this instant." Oleum said firmly.

"W-What are you--Ack!--Ta--JUST HELP ME!" Sol pleaded desperately, throwing punches wildly at the beast's face, but this time it did not relent. 

“I said stop!” Oleum commanded, and the beast’s mouth opened. It whined a pitiful whine, facing Oleum as it backed away.

“It does not like you. What have you done to anger them?” Oleum accused.

“I have done nothing. Why does my misfortune draw your ire?” Sol shouted back, squeezing the wolf bite tightly.

“You are not innocent. Do not lie to me, lest I abandon you on this mountain to be devoured by wolves!” Oleum’s face twisted as he finished his sentence, more resembling an animal than a man by the time it had finished.

“I am sorry! I have been cursed! I have been cursed!” Sol dropped onto his behind, still clutching his bleeding wound.

“Cursed how?” Oleum asked as he cast his staff to the ground.

“I touched an egg! One inscribed with symbols I could not decipher that laid in the nest of a robin. It was incredibly light and made of bone or something. After I touched it, it filled me with an incredible creeping dread.” Sol whimpered. 

Oleum paused, then returned to his usual voice, “Do you have this ‘egg’?”

“…Yes. At first, I left it where I had found it, but I was attacked by the robins, then a pair of squirrels, and then a raccoon. At that point, I did not know what to do and took it with me in hopes it might be helpful to end this curse. I’ve told you what I know, now please, aid me with this wound!” Sol grimaced, now curled up on the snow. The cold was beginning to mess with his head.

Oleum retrieved his staff and stepped closer to Sol, reaching into his satchel and lifting his pant leg. He wrapped a bandage coated in a sticky substance around Sol’s leg, protecting it from both the wind and open air. “Although it carries with it a good flavor, do not taste it. Leave it on for three days and three nights, and then wash your wound with clean water. You will be fine.”

Sol nodded and rose. The bite on his leg hurt, but not enough to dissuade him from continuing up the mountain.

“I could tell you were cursed before you told me because of its stench. I only wanted to know if you were unfortunate or sinister. Now that is clear.” Oleum began walking as if the events that had transpired no longer carried relevance. Sol followed, but at a greater distance before. Perhaps he should have chosen another guide, for this one carried some sort of power he had never seen before.

As they ascended further, Oleum showed his innate perseverance. He strode along precarious ledges as easily as a mountain goat, as Sol scrambled up similarly tall ledges, slipping every few minutes on the hidden ice below him. 

“It is not your place to disobey me. Begone!” Oleum cried out at some unseen force. Before long, Sol understood what he was facing.

On the brink of the summit, a small army of animals faced off with Oleum, the largest of which was a bear. Standing up, it was nearly the height of Oleum, and more than twice as wide. It growled, lowering its head as if to beckon forth the others. Immediately, several fanged deer charged Oleum. Just before the moment of impact, he slammed his staff to the ground and the animals recoiled, turning their heads and charging straight past Sol before tumbling down the side of the mountain.

“Do not push me further, lest I carry the weight of your bodies to my grave!” Oleum’s voice cracked as he raised his staff higher into the air. The great bear reared its head and let out a monstrous scream. Oleum faltered slightly, and the bear charged towards him like the deer before. Oleum held out his staff, but the bear was undeterred.

It slashed with great force, reducing Oleum’s staff to splinters. It screamed once more and stood on two legs. It stared into Oleum’s eyes, and his expression shifted rapidly from one thing to the next until finally, he spoke once more.

“Give yourself to the bear, Sol.” Oleum squeaked.

“What?!” Sol screamed in reply, staring at the massive beast before him.

“Give yourself to the bear, or neither of us will return from this mountain! You will not be harmed if your intent is pure!” Oleum shouted back, concentrating fiercely on the bear facing him down.

“What does that even mean?”

“Exactly what you think it does!”

“Now submit, or I will force you to!”

Sol turned his head and ran, or at least he tried to until he realized his feet had defied him. A sour expression crossed his face, and freezing tears began to roll down his cheeks. Between choked sobs, he slowly shuffled forward and lowered his head until he was directly beside Oleum.

“I d-do-don’t w-a-ant it t-o end here..” Sol blubbered. By this point, snot was dripping from his nose and his eyes were drowning in tears.

“Face the bear in my stead.” Oleum stated. By this point, he was drained of emotion and now resembled an object more than a human.

Sol took several pitiful steps sideways and stood before the great bear. He lifted his head and opened his eyes. The bear’s face was no longer angry but seemed to contain deep wisdom. He wondered how an animal could carry the expression of a man but did not question the fact that is was much more powerful than a man. After what seemed like an eternity, the bear dropped onto two legs and let out a terrible scream. One of the loudest he had ever heard uttered from an animal in his entire life.

The other animals behind the bear fled, and the bear stepped aside. Within a moment, the mountain had become peaceful once more. “It has allowed us to pass, Let us not waste this opportunity, and step into the spring.” Oleum said plainly.

Sol wiped the tears from his face with the sleeve of his coat, but the snow resulted in his face being wetter than if he had done nothing at all. He sniffed loudly and stumbled forward into the spring. As he lowered his hand into the water, an inky black fluid seeped from his fingers and dissipated into the spring. Slowly, Sol began to feel himself well with euphoria. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out the small turquoise egg and dropped it into the pond.

The egg dropped into the water, making a splash more fitting for an object a dozen times larger. A torrent of inky water flowed out of the egg, spraying the filthy liquid from its inscriptions until they no longer remained. After remaining dormant a few seconds, it began to pull in spring water, drinking greedily from the fountain and swelling in size until it was about as large as the egg of a chicken. White inscriptions softly gleamed in the sunlight as it drank until the fountain was entirely dry. Sol leaned down in the empty pool and picked up the egg. He felt his heart swelling with confidence when he wrapped his fingers around it.

“What did it do?” Sol asked.

“I do not know. What I do know is that it is more powerful than either of us or even that lord of the spring. Whatever life you carried with you before is dead now. You must go to the city and speak to one of my friends about this ‘egg’.”

Sol shook his head in disbelief. He did not want to do any of this, but immediately, he recognized he did not need to. As he held onto the egg, he felt himself slipping away, being pulled away from himself until he was not Sol, he had become something more.


End file.
